Chapter 7

Perhapsa week later Terry, who lived in the small apartment over the dojo, was dreaming. Lily spoke: "My sweet, sweet Terry. I can finally rest now. You are ready to move on. I'll still visit you from time to time, but you won't know I'm there." Sulia appeared next: "My beloved wolf, it's time for me to go as well. I love you and am happy for you. You have someone else now. You'll hear me when the wind whispers through the trees. Farewell."

Terry bolted upright yelling: "Nnnnoooooooooo." The dream was gone and with it, his loves. Finally though, Terry "The Lone Wolf" Bogard let himself make that last break with his past. He let himself cry and in doing so, his heart healed, as did his soul. The tears poured from his eyes heavily until he cried himself back to sleep through sheer mental exhaustion.

When Terry awoke the next morning, his heart felt lighter somehow. Reaching over to the nightstand, he opened the drawer and withdrew two pictures. The only two pictures he kept close to him at all times. One was of Lily. Terry couldn't remember how he had gotten it. The second was of Sulia from the short time that she traveled with him on their search for the Armor of Mars. He looked at both pictures but felt only peace instead of despair. "Lily, Sulia, I'll always love you both. Thank you for teaching me that I had a heart."

With that, he pulled the envelope that he usually kept the pictures in out of the drawer, put both pictures in it and sealed it. Dropping it back into the drawer, he closed it and got up to start his day.

"Tony has improved considerably over a year's time since he started training with Terry", Andy thought to himself. "Now he can do his kata flawlessly no matter how big a distraction we cause." Tony ended his kata as Terry walked up to him and said: "That was terrific Tony." Tony blushed a little at the praise he received and said: "Thanks Terry. I've been trying really hard." Terry said: "I know you have. In fact, I have a little something for you." Terry handed him a small flat box wrapped in colored paper. Tony opened it as quickly as he could and said with unbridled excitement: "Awesome! My own pair of fighting gloves!" Tony hurriedly pulled them on over his hands and marveled at the exact fit as he said: "Just like yours Terry! Thanks a lot."

Terry's face colored a little at the sincerity he heard in Tony's voice. "No problem. Just my way of saying this is as far as I can take you in your training for now. I know you start school this fall with that college that offered you the martial arts scholarship. Return here in ten years time and I'll give you the rest of my knowledge." Tony bowed low in respect to his friend and teacher who returned the bow in turn.

Later that day, Terry, Andy, Mai and Joe who was in town for a visit saw Tony off at the train station. With them came Tony's mother and his new stepfather. Tony promised to email or write as he got on the train. As the train left the station, everyone waved until the train was a speck on the rails. Tony's mom cried as her son left but her husband just put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her as she thanked Terry for teaching him and the couple left the station followed shortly by the comrades-in-arms.

Joe had come into town to give a seminar and demonstration at Terry and Andy's dojo later in the week. The school was doing well financially and there was a solid core of students developing that would help insure the survival of the Hakkyokuseiken style. The friends sat down to dinner and discussed the seminar as conversation rolled around to more personal topics.

Joe being his lovably tactless self started it off by looking squarely at Mai and Andy and saying: "So lovebirds. You've been married all of a year so far and no kids? Something not going right?" he said with a Joe-style leer. Andy saw the telltale vein on his wife's beautiful forehead throb and knew what would happen next, the leer lasted all of three seconds as Mai whipped out a fan and smacked Joeacross one cheekand put her fan back in her purse before anyone could say a word. The group of friends all burst out laughing as Joe rubbed the red spot where the fan had hit him. Even Joe laughed lightly after a moment. He said: "Seriously though, when is Terry going to have any nieces or nephews to dote over. Not to mention good old 'Uncle Joe'."

Andy looked at Mai and she back at him as he said: "Actually, that's partly why we wanted to go out tonight because in about eight and a half months we won't be around much. We'll be home with our baby." The table was silent a moment. As the notion of Andy and Mai as parents set in, Joe once again broke the tension as he said: "YEAH man. I knew you could do it if you set your mind to it. WOOHOO!"

Andy saw the vein throb again as a matching red mark suddenly appeared on Joe's opposite cheek. Mai said: "That should teach you to keep your mouth shut you pig!" Again the table burst into laughs as Terry congratulated his brother and sister-in-law on their good fortune. Joe did too as he ordered up some Champagne to celebrate with.

Terry spoke next: "What about you Joe. I saw a picture in Martial Art Times magazine that showed a pretty attractive blond on your arm from three months ago or so. Who is she?" Mai pounced on the moment and said: "Joe, you finally got one of your own? What is she? Supermodel, groupie or porn star?" Joe's face reddened in embarrassment as he said: "Come on Mai! I'm not that shallow! I"ll admit I had my share of flings as I started in the professional fight circuit but not anymore." He diverted his gaze away from the group and out a window as he said a name in a low voice: "It's King."

Mai said: "What was that Joe, we didn't quite catch it." Joe swore in the Thai language for a moment and said: "It's King. Remember her. You teamed up with her and Yuri Sakazaki for the King of Fighters. You three were teammates for that tournament and for a few more after that as I recall." The table was silent as Terry said: "I remember her but I thought she was kind of . . . you know . . . er . . . different." Andy picked up where his brother stopped: "What Terry is trying to say is that most of us thought she was a lesbian."

Mai jumped into the fray before Joe could say anything: "She is not a lesbian! I can tell you that for a fact! After teaming up with her and Yuri a couple of times we became great friends. Almost like sisters. Our 'girl talk' covered all the bases. Trust me when I tell you that King is no lesbian."

Joe said: "Thank you for that Mai. I appreciate it. I was going to say pretty much the same thing. She's a really nice girl when you get to know her. She always put up the tough masculine exterior so that other fighters would take her seriously. In Thailand, women aren't usually taught Muay Thai. Especially a girl who is considered a half-breed bastard by most people. Her father was a U.S. serviceman in the last days of the American involvement in Vietnam. Her mother was the only daughter of some of the local help at the American embassy in Saigon. King's grandparents were originally from Thailand and told King's mother about their homeland. As soon as they found out the American embassy was going to be evacuated they had to make a choice: Either risk losing their daughter to a human slavery ring, or ask the GI who had been volunteering around the neighborhood to take her with him when the U.S. evacuated."

Joe continued his narrative with: "At the time, only military spouses and their children could leave with the evacuation so in order to do so, she had to marry the him. They did and went back to America with the evacuation, ended up falling in love and having a daughter. Several years later, the GI, now a retired military officer and diplomatic attaché to the American embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, took his wife and daughter with him. King wanted to learn Muay Thai but no one would teach her at first because she was a girl and considered a half-breed by the general public. Then they found this crazy old guy out in the boondox by the name of Xian. She wanted to fight professionally so she learned how to hide her gender and did so for a couple of years before being hired on as a bouncer for a club that fronted for the crime boss Mr. Big."

Mai took up the story from there: "She told Yuri and me pretty much the same thing. In fact, when Yuri found out King used to work for the guy who kidnapped her, she almost quit the team but they made up when King told Yuri how her brother Ryo, had come looking for her and fought her and in beating her, ended up shredding her shirt with his final attack. Everybody in the club found out King's secret and she couldn't work there anymore because all the guys kept making passes at her."

Joe finished the story with: "After floating around for awhile, she decided to stop hiding her gender and decided to fight in the King of Fighters tournaments. That's how she and I met originally when Andy, you and I fought as Team Italy in the same tournaments. She's grown her hair out now and when she wants to, she can turn every man's head in a room with the way she fills out a party dress."

Andy sat back in wonderment and asked: "Is it serious between you two?" Joe said: "I think it might at that. I've never been as comfortable around a woman as I am around her. Besides, it's not every day you meet a woman you can hit and hug at the same time who can hit back just as hard." The friends smiled.

The unspoken subject was Terry's love life. Andy and Joe had been with Terry when Lily died and all three had been with him when Sulia died. Terry broke the silence saying, I'm happy for you all, really. I know why you won't ask me about the subject at hand and while I appreciate it, you don't have to worry anymore. I've finally made my peace with both their memories. Now, while it's true that I don't have anyone in my life at this point, I'm not afraid to look anymore."

There was a collective release of breath from the other three members of the dinner group as Andy spoke: "How about that girl Maki? She seemed pretty taken with you when you and Guy fought six months ago." Mai said: "I saw it too. She couldn't take her eyes off of you for a second." Joe scratched his head and said: "Who's Maki?" Andy, Mai and Terry explained it all so that Joe was up to date. As they finished Joe let loose with another Joe-style leer and said: "Go for it man, it sounds like she really digs you."

Joe ducked the first fan and caught the second and said: "Mai, I admit to being a little slow sometimes, but I'm not so slow as to be hit by the same attack three times in a row so stop trying to hit me okay?" Mai put her fans back in her purse mumbling: "creep," under her breath. Terry said: "I don't know about her 'digging' me or anything, but I do have to admit she was really cute. Maybe I'll go visit her. She did give me an open invitation to come see her in Metro City."

Joe said: "Whoa man. Did you say Metro City?" When Terry nodded yes, Joe continued with: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than in Metro City . . . until you go to South Town that is." Again there was a communal chuckle around the table. Andy spoke then: "If you want to go, then go. The school will be fine without you for awhile. If I need to, I'll fax a message to you at the number Maki and Guy gave us when they left six months ago."

Terry asked: "Are you sure Andy? I don't want to leave the school shorthanded or anything." Andy chuckled and said: "Go Terry. Go and get a girl of your own okay? We'll be fine." Terry said: "Well I guess it's all settled then." Lifting his glass of champagne, Terry said: "A toast then. To a future for all of us." In unison they all said: "A future," and drank their toast. As they left, none of them noticed a dark blue suited man with shaggy brown hair and glasses pick up his cell phone, speed dial a number and say: "Mr. Howard? He's going to Metro City in the next day or so. What do you want me to do?" The deep voice on the other end said: "Follow him for now Hopper. Tell me where he goes, who he talks to . . . everything." Hopper said: "Yes Mr. Howard." And hit the end call button.